Local

Though a jury had been selected and dozens of witnesses lined the halls of the Lancaster County Courthouse, a Lancaster man changed his plea to guilty during the preliminary stages of his criminal trial Monday, Dec. 9.
Dyeshawn Dyaquette Foster, 19, 341 Robinson Road, was set to go to trial this week to face three counts of assault and battery high and aggravated, as well as charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and unlawful carry, said Assistant Sixth Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman on Wednesday.

by Kaisha Young/Special to The Lancaster News
Lancaster County’s very first Wreaths Across America Day began on a dreary December day in 2009 in Kershaw City Cemetery.
It began with a moment of silence at noon – exactly when the ceremony started in Arlington National Cemetery and more than 150 cemeteries across the nation.
The sky was a sheet of gray. About 130 people snuggled in their coats to watch the Kershaw ceremony. The silence was formidable, yet soothing.

They turned on lights, checked air conditioning systems and took snapshots as they passed from room to room.
Pausing every few minutes, the small group would reconvene and compare notes before setting out to tour their next destination.
Though it sounds more like a family scouting for its new home, the group was actually Lancaster County Council’s Economic Development Office Location Committee. Its mission – to find a permanent home for the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp.

A Lancaster woman pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week for unemployment insurance fraud.
Barbara Jean Cousar, 58, 970 12th St., pleaded guilty Monday, Dec. 9, to one count of making a false statement or misrepresentation with the intent to defraud the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, according to a joint press release from DEW and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Though officials remain mum on the specifics of a newly announced multimillion dollar project for the county, some details emerged about Keer America Corp. during Lancaster County Council’s Monday, Dec. 9 meeting.

Days before an official announcement is set to be released by the S.C. Department of Commerce on Dec. 16, Lancaster County Economic Development Corp. President Keith Tunnell discussed with council a plethora of information regarding the company.

It’s time to make structural changes on city properties to accommodate all Lancaster residents, said Robert Moody, senior planner of the Catawba Regional Council of Governments (COG).

The COG provided technical assistance to the city’s Building and Zoning Department and presented a report at the Nov. 26 Lancaster City Council meeting.

The city’s Americans with Disabilities Act plan is not up to date and/or appropriate and needs an update, Moody told the council. This is a required measure because the city receives federal funding, he said.

As December winds down, the various groups that have traditionally used the Del Webb Library at Indian Land for a meeting space are holding their last meetings there after the Lancaster County Library Board did away with after-hours public use.

While the public outrage may have simmered down some since the board approved the new policy two months ago, the issue is not completely dead.

Some group members say they still believe the decision was a mistake and hope to encourage library board members to work with them toward a solution.

A group of nuns teach the Christmas spirit – putting others before yourself.

That is the theme of “Nuncrackers,” a humorous twist on the classic holiday show featuring the Little Sisters of Hoboken from Mount St. Helen’s School.

The Community Playhouse of Lancaster County will present a matinee of “Nuncrackers” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, at Barr Street Auditorium, 612 E. Meeting St., Lancaster. Other show times are 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21.

That’s the message law enforcement officials want to convey to those who panhandle in the city and county.

Lancaster Police Chief Harlean Howard wants residents to understand the definition of “panhandling” and be prepared to respond to the activity. She referenced the city ordinance for rules about public solicitation.